


The Fox and the Hound: Denied

by TK_DuVeraun



Series: SWTOR: Legacies AUs [1]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Drama, F/M, Original Characters - Freeform, Original Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-02-23 22:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13199769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TK_DuVeraun/pseuds/TK_DuVeraun
Summary: Carina from Clan Meshurok gets hired by Sith Lord Faximil. She's less than pleased until she meets her Imperial liaison: Fox. He's the partner she didn't know she wanted and she's going to fight to keep him. Assuming he lets her.---This is an AU ofThe Fox and the Hound. Unlike Choices, this does not require reading the original and, in fact, contains the first seven chapters of the original.





	1. When The Day Met The Night

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Fox and the Hound](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11755608) by [TK_DuVeraun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TK_DuVeraun/pseuds/TK_DuVeraun). 



> The first 7 chapters are identical to the first seven chapters in The Fox and the Hound. There are two changes between this universe and the original. The first you will see played out explicitly in Chapter 8. The second is more obscure and I'll mention it in the notes on the chapter where it comes into play.

“Carina, the ‘Hound,’ from Clan Meshurok. Thank you for coming. I am Captain Ivan Mardh under Lord Faximil,” Captain Mardh says. The Imperial’s uniform is perfectly pressed with starched lines sharp enough to cut. He stands at rest next to an empty chair reserved for Lord Faximil.

Carina stands opposite him, an intricately carved desk inlaid with blue mother of pearl between them. Though she gives the Imperial a once-over, her attention is locked on the Sith standing with his back to them as he stares out the floor to ceiling windows. She keeps her eyes focused on him when she answers his man. “A pleasure to meet you, Captain. As we told your man when he visited the camp, we are warriors from several different clans here for a hunt.”

“Indeed, but that is no reason for us to doubt the capabilities of your people. As you no doubt already know, there are no Imperial garrisons in this sector. His Lordship had no reason to believe the Republic would stoop so low as to attack a civilian colony, but here we are.” Mardh’s tone is even, but since she’s still wearing her helmet, it’s possible he doesn’t know she’s not looking at him.

“Olkin II is resource-rich. The ore veins practically jump out of the cliffs. _We’re_ surprised this place isn’t overrun with Imperial- miners.” Carina bites back the word ‘slaves’ at the last possible second, but she sees the Sith turn his head partially in her direction. The face on his mask is grotesque and inhuman. The ridged ‘skin’ is a sickly grey except for the sharp lines of Sa’alle’s mark.

A shiver goes through Carina’s body, though her armor hides it. The clans keep shared records of which Sith aren’t to be trusted and Lord Sa’alle is their number one persona-non-grata. They don’t trust the crazy bitch to keep herself limited to _jetii_ and _dar’jetii_. She swallows and fights the urge to clench her hands into fists.

“My Lord doesn’t want mining operations to inconvenience his colony, but that is neither here nor there.” Mardh turns his left hand palm up and closes his fingers over the datapad Lord Faximil sends to him with the Force.

Carina’s eyes narrow behind her T-visor. She isn’t impressed by the show of ability - she knows any half-wit apprentice can make objects float. She _is_ impressed by the careless synergy between Sith and Imperial.

Mardh glances over the datapad before holding it to Carina. “This is the standard rate per head. Captain Eklund and I will negotiate fees with any specialists who wish to sign on.”

The number is high, nearly twice what Clan Meshurok was paid for their last job. Carina knows better than to look a gift nerf in the mouth, but she was chosen to be the liaison for a reason. “This isn’t any standard _I’ve_ been offered.”

The captain is unphased. “It’s a simple matter of supply and demand, Hound. If your people refuse, we lose the colony. It’s not such a large number, split fifty-thousand ways.”

Carina frowns and finally looks back at the Captain. She tries to get a feel for him from his expression and posture, but he’s frustratingly stiff and professional. “I’ll take it to the warriors. We’ll have a number for you in the morning.”

“If you’ll allow it, I’d like to have my lieutenant accompany you to answer any questions your fellows may ask.”

“Yes, fine. Send him along.”

 

\---

 

Carina hops off of her speeder bike at the edge of the Mandalorian hunting camp. She sighs and leans against it, waiting for Lord Faximil’s man to show up. After a few minutes, she removes her helmet. She’s braiding her black hair when the Imperial speeder parks next to her.

The lieutenant is wearing armor, rather than the stiff uniform like Captain Mardh. He runs a hand over his auburn hair before smiling politely at her. “Carina Meshurok? I’m Lieutenant Fox.”

“That’s great. You can go tell His _Lordship_ that we’re not interested.”

“Excuse me?” The lieutenant blinks several times and takes a step toward her.

“We’re not going to take the job.” She ties off her hair and throws the braid over her shoulder.

He frowns at her and narrows his blue eyes. “If you and your people leave, we lose the colony. This is civilians. Children.” Fox gestures sharply with his hand.

“So they can surrender.” She shrugs.

Fox shakes his head. “They’re loyal to Lord Faximil. Even assuming the Republic is here for altruistic reasons, a rather wild assumption, the colonists will resist and it wouldn’t take much to push the Republic soldiers to reprisals.”

“We’re not going to work for Sa’alle.” Carina slashes her arm between them. “Do you really think we don’t know what she does?”

Fox’s frown falls off his face and he sighs. “I can understand that, but Meshurok, _please_. Faximil isn’t Sybil and these people need you.”

“And if her apprentice starts playing her game, I, personally, am in danger.”

“Faximil’s not her apprentice.” He runs a hand over his hair. “He's her brother and just as disgusted as you are. Ivan thinks she's going to look closer to home if she doesn't get what she wants from Jedi."

Carina flinches and her stomach roils at the thought. She takes a few deep breaths. A regular Sith, and certainly one as demented as Sa’alle, would never work so well with his Force blind soldiers. “ _Fine_. I'll present it to the others, but they may not be convinced.”

“Surely there's _something_ we can do to convince them?”

“He stays in his little base. We command our own people.”

Fox shakes his head and interrupts before she can continue. “The first is fine, done, but Eklund needs control of any snipers. He's a chiss and even when he explains his strategies, they don't make sense.”

“As long as it's not the Sith, I can probably convince a few. Do you even have the authority to make these deals?”

“You're underestimating how much we want to save Olkin II.”

  
  
  



	2. Follow My Feet

“Please correct my ignorance, but I wasn’t aware signing a contract with a rather suspect Sith was a cause for celebration,” Fox says. He gestures to the quickly forming battle circle in the center of a ring of torches. He’s leaning against the temporary smithy and smirking at Carina.

“We had to cancel the rest of the hunt to handle your _emergency_ ,” Carina sends back with a roll of her eyes. Despite the comment, she’s hardly upset with the Imperial. He’s shown the clans more respect than any of them were used to and even ignored a rather pointed insult from one of Clan Tiyaar’s warriors.

“I would think a Republic warship landing on world is an emergency by Mandalorian standards, too.”

“If not for you, we could’ve been off-world and halfway to our _yaime_ before they even knew we were here.”

“Point being, you’d still have to cancel the rest of the hunt.” He points to her as he says it. The torches cast flickering shadows across his face, but do nothing to hide the amusement.

Carina knocks his hand down. “You’re insufferable.”

“I’m competent and factually correct.”

“Alright, that’s enough of that.” Carina grabs Fox by the back of his chestpiece and hauls him towards the Circle. “I hope you can use that vibroblade.” She switches to _mando’a_. “ _Hey boys, let’s see if the Imp can hold his own._ ”

The clanging of metal on metal is nearly deafening as the collected Mandalorians cheer in favor. Fox laughs and draws his vibroblade and fiddles with the controls until it glows to life on the practice setting. His opponent is tall and looks lanky even with his full _beskar_. Sharp gears are splashed across his cuirass in bright purple paint, marking him as one of D’narr’s warriors.

Carina leans against one of the torch posts and watches. Fox trades a few easy blows with D’narr before both speed up. D’narr is quick and moves with good form, but Carina can see he’s not used to fighting someone with Fox’s technique. Fox seems to notice it, too, since he switches his base form and starts using a different attack pattern altogether. Laughter bubbles up in Carina’s chest when she recognizes it.

D’narr signals his defeat and rips off his helmet. He gasps and pants in the clear night air, steam rising off his bald head and sweat dripping off of his horns. The zabrak looks up at Fox and takes the Imperial’s hand, using it to straighten up. “You’re better than I expected, Imp.”

“I’m the liaison for a reason.” Fox pats him on the back and watches him leave the Circle, no sneer on his face or any sign that he cares the man he fought was an alien.

“Don’t make his head any bigger, D’narr. Some of us have fought Echani before.” Carina ignores D’narr’s offered blade and draws her own vibrosword. It’s shorter, but heavier than D’narr’s. She doesn’t give Fox a chance to prepare before she leaps at him with a heavy underhanded slash. They fight back and forth across the ring and while Carina knows the others are cheering and shouting, she can’t hear anything over the pounding blood in her ears.

Fox doesn’t fight her with his Echani style. First, he slips back into his original style, but when he loses ground, he falls back onto a patchwork combination of techniques and forms. It feels almost Mandalorian with how many cultures it draws from.

They’re evenly matched and after a few more passes, call it draw. They clasp hands in the center of the ring to raucous, somewhat drunken, cheers and then leave the ring, accepting heavy cups of watered down _tihaar_. Carina drinks deeply and throws her arm over Fox’s shoulders when he sputters and coughs. “Atta boy. We’ll make a proper warrior out of you, yet.”

“I don't see how my inability to drink this poison you call alcohol correlates to my capabilities as a fighter,” Fox says. He takes a deep breath before chugging the rest of his cup and making a disgusted noise.

“This is proper Mandalorian _tihaar._ You should be flattered we served you some.”

“It tastes like you brewed it in someone's armor."

Carina grins. “Well, Clan D’narr did bring it and you never know with them.”

With a grin plastered on his face, Fox shakes his head and chuckles. “You're an unrepentant barbarian, Hound.”

They’re far from the center of the camp and the Battle Circle, though they can still hear muted cheers and sharp claps of metal on metal. In the dim torchlight, Carina grabs Fox's shoulder and spins him around to face her.

“A barbarian whose _pleasure_ hunt you interrupted. I think beating the tar out of these Pubs will handle the latter, but I intend to take the former out of your hide.” She leaves him no time to respond before pulling his mouth hard against hers.

Fox returns her fervor, making a pleased sound in his throat. He grabs her braid in a tight fist and holds her face in his left hand. Eventually, he pulls back enough just to gasp for breath and speak. “I'm flattered, make no mistake-"

Carina kisses him again. “Then why are you talking?”

“I have no intention of leaving the Empire.”

“Kriff, Fox, I'm asking for a kriff, not a proposal,” she says before pulling him in again.

Somehow, Fox manages to remove his gauntlets and hers before he replies. His voice is colored by something like a growl. “You're Mandalorian; I think that was a fair assumption.”

“I think you need to stop thinking so much and put your energy into taking off your armor.”

“If you want to be taken on the ground, far be it from me to stop you.”

“First, _I_ will be taking _you_ and second, if you could shut up for five seconds, I'd let you into my tent.”

Fox says nothing to that.

\---

Carina yawns and watches Fox move around her tent in the near darkness. Though the only light is from the torches outside, he has no trouble dodging around the piecemeal furniture and far-nicer armor stands. “You don’t want another round in the morning?”

Fox chuckles, but continues to pull his armor on. “Want? Yes. Unfortunately, I have a meeting in…” The light from his chrono is nearly blinding when he checks the time. “Five hours, give or take. And Mardh is unbelievably cross if you’re late.”

“Make sure your Sith knows that fully half of the warriors that sign on are doing it because you impressed them.” Carina yawns again and curls herself tightly in her blankets, since she knows she won’t be sharing them.

“You underestimate your own influence.”

“You need to stop assuming you know my estimates of things.”

Fox finishes replacing his armor before he leans over and kisses her softly. “This was fun. We should do it again, if we have the chance.”

“Pub soldiers are idiots. We’ll have time.”

 


	3. Without My Hands

Rain drips down out of the foliage and splatters against the armored warriors waiting beneath the trees. Carina leans against one of the thick boughs, working on a guard rota for Clan Meshurok while she waits for the scouts to report in. The lieutenant is with his own men, not waiting for a fight, not guarding civilians, no. Lieutenant Fox with his polished armor and pressed uniform is out farming with the rest of the Imperial soldiers. She grins at the thought.

“Is the Sith really keeping his distance? He’s giving you instructions through comms, isn’t he?” The kid from Tiyaar has his helmet on, but it doesn’t matter that his old brands are covered when everything out of his mouth screams _former slave_.

“He’s literally never spoken a single word to me. Talk to D’narr if you want to know what he’s got in his ear, but as far as I’ve been told, Captain Eklund is still the one calling the shots.” She bites back a sigh and just braces herself for the next round of accusations.

“Can you even hear anything when you’ve got that Imp moaning your ear?”

“No one’s making you fuck the Imp and it’s none of your business if I am.”

“When you’re the acting commander, it’s everyone’s business.”

“Stand down, kid. Your behavior on this op has been abysmal. I don’t want to bring it up with your _alor_ , but if you can’t pull your head out of your ass, I’m going to have to. The food is good, this is the best _I’ve_ been paid all year, and these Imps actually trust us to take care of our own ops.” A few of the others turn their heads as she spells it out.

One of the kid’s clan brothers claps him on the shoulder. “Come on, Atonai, she’s right. No one made you sign on. Act like a warrior or you’ll be back in remedial training when we get home.”

Carina watches them move back into position and is still staring after them when the scouts come in with their report. She skims through it and looks back up at the scouts. One is Ty’lk from her own _aliit_ and the other is an Imperial whose armor is covered in an inch-thick layer of mud and grass that’s just starting to feel the rain as it drips off.

Carina shakes the datapad at them. “Two Jedi?”

The Imperial nods. “A master and his padawan, though the student’s proficiency is unknown.”

“Their faces and voices are disguised, _alor’ad_. Modulators and some kind of holo distortion field. _Jetii_ don’t pull this kind of mask shit. This isn’t as simple as annexing a colony.” Ty’lk shakes his head and runs a hand over the hilt of his vibrosword.

“And you passed this onto Captain Mardh?” Carin asks.

“Yes. He and Lord Faximil are trying to ID the master as we speak.” The Imperial grabs a clump of mud that’s sliding off his arm and tries to stick it back on before dropping it to the trampled grass. “He wants to meet with you, tonight. This Jedi master might require direct intervention from Lord Faximil. I know your people didn’t want him around, but surely it’s better than the alternative.”

“I’ll see what they have to say, meet with the other captains and we’ll reassess the situation.” She looks back at the datapad. “How confident are you in these troop positions?”

The Imperial tries to smile, but it doesn’t really get past the anxiety on his face. “Confident enough I’ve sent someone back to take holos of the boys in the fields. ...Not enough to bring the farmers back out, though.”

“Alright. Keep me in the loop.”

\---

“ _This_ is your barracks?” Carina whistles as they walk through the lobby and into the elevator. She’d caught him after her meeting with Mardh and Faximil and then followed him back.

“There are never many soldiers here and the locals are really appreciative of… us.” Fox rubs the back of his neck and shrugs one shoulder at her.

“I wasn’t suspicious until you said it _like that_.”

Fox doesn’t respond until they’re inside his room. “They don’t mind the soldiers, but the only one they really care about is Lord Faximil.”

“Do they just… not know who his sister is? He wears the Sa’alle marks on his mask. He’s not trying to hide it. I know there must be _some_ people who enjoy living under the heel of a Sith, but-”

“They’re all traitors, Meshurok.”  Fox’s cheeks are flushed with emotion and he gestures sharply between them. “All of them. As far as the Empire is concerned, they should be put to death, _including_ the children.” He shakes his head and paces across the living-dining area of his apartment. “He hid their crimes and gave them a home here.”

“How can _children_ be _traitors_?”

“Because the Empire is made of _insane_ , paranoid Sith who think that if you have enough ability with the Force to move a _hair_ a single, bloody centimeter, then you deserve to face Sith training or die. Which is in practice _just dying_ because they’re too weak to do anything but _farm_ and _write symphonies_!”

“Are you saying… They’re all Forcers?”

Fox sighs and sinks heavily onto his couch. “Not all of them. Not even most. But he couldn’t just secret away the children. Who would care for them? He just transplanted whole families here. That’s why it’s so far from the nearest garrison. He doesn’t want to risk discovery.”

She sits next to him with a soft thwump. “No wonder you’re all so loyal to him.”

“That secret is worth the lives of everyone on world, Hound.” Fox puts his face in his hands, no doubt regretting letting his mouth run.

Carina pats his back gently. She wants to reassure him, but doesn't think any words about her trustworthiness will help.  “The others don't need to know. Do the Jedi know? Is that why they're here?”

“I don't think so. They would have to bring more Jedi just to keep accidental Force use under control, let alone any resistance.” He drops his hands with a sigh and meets her eyes. “Maybe you should go back to the camp.”

“I'm where I should be.” She stands and pulls Fox to his feet. “You, Lieutenant, should let your Sith and your captains worry about that. I'll give you a back rub and we'll see how you feel. I don't have to be back at the camp until my meeting with the other captains in the morning.”

Fox stops her before she can pull him into his bedroom. He stares into her eyes, but if he finds what he’s looking for, he doesn’t react to it. When he speaks, his voice is soft. “Flawed as it is, I'm not going to leave the Empire.”

“I won't ask you to.”

\---

The promise sits heavy in her chest. Her meetings and discussions with Captain Mardh have made it clear that Lord Faximil will be looking to hire Clan Mershurok when this is over. She’s grown used to Lieutenant Fox fighting at her right hand and translating her orders from sensible into Imperial Basic.

Carina can’t help but notice that he’s serious and quietly professional with other Imperials, but then comes to life around _mando’ade_ . Every smile and laugh he gives her _vod_ make the words burn on her tongue, but she understands loyalty. She understands fighting for something _bigger_ than yourself.

So she fights by his side, easily cutting down Republic troopers. She stands back and watches him field questions and complaints from her people. She brings him watered down _tihaar_ and together they watch the others spar and discuss the next day’s strategy. They rarely have the opportunity to spend the whole tonight together, but when they do, it’s the best sleep Carina’s ever had outside of the _yaim_.

They’re camped on one side of a ford, not expecting an attack, but prepared in case the Pubs try to attack Olkin City from behind. Carina sends the scout back on his patrol and turns to the lieutenant. “For as worried as you Imperials were about the Jedi, he hasn’t shown himself.”

“We’ve killed or captured at least twenty-five percent of his forces. That he hasn’t shown himself worries me more, if I’m honest.” He rubs his cheek and his stubble is loud against the inside of his gauntlet.

“What does Faximil think?”

“What?”

“Your Sith, what does he think?”

“That the Jedi possesses an ability the Council would rather people not know about.”

“So, any ability, really,” Carina says.

Fox chuckles, but there’s no real mirth in it. “I’m expecting some kind of Death Touch. Watch your six.”

“I always do, Fox.”


	4. Partners in Crime

“I’m impressed you can use that Echani sword style so well. I had one try to teach me a few forms, but I just can’t push my body like that,” Carina says. They’re sitting on the temporary railing surrounding the Battle Circle. Five of Fox’s Imperials have joined the Mandalorians for once, even if they can’t hold their _tihaar_.

Fox rubs the back of his neck and quirks an eyebrow at her. “It’s fairly taxing; my use of it is situational, at best.”

“It’s still impressive. I’m not _surprised_ , mind; I like to think I’m rather well acquainted with how well you can use your body.” She elbows him and laughs when he just shakes his head at her. “Come on. Let’s have a spar. Give ‘em a show.”

Fox answers her grin and hops off of the railing. But before he can step forward, he freezes and a moment later puts a hand to his ear, listening to something in his comm. He sticks two fingers in his mouth and whistles.

Everyone turns to stare at the sound, but something’s wrong with it. Not that Carina has the attention to spare because when Fox starts talking, it’s in _mando’a_.

“ _The Jedi are approaching the camp. Both from D’narr, both from Mershurok: North-by-Northwest. D’narr, deafen your helmets to externals. Rely only on direct comms._ ” He looks around the at-attention warriors and points to the kid from Tiyaar. “ _You, Tiyaar, with me. The rest of you, continue like this._ Think _as loudly as you can to disrupt the Jedi_.” He spares just a moment to meet Carina’s eyes before sprinting off to the east.

Carina tries to call the Imperial captains, but the signal doesn’t go through. _These_ jetii _are cutting us off from the Imps. Are they afraid of Faximil? Or is it something else?_ She tosses the thought away and heads into the forest with both warriors from D’narr following and Ty’lk watching her six.

They find the Jedi barely a mile outside of the camp. A quick EMP from one of D’narr’s warriors knocks out the holodistorter obscuring the Jedi’s face. Carina bites back a series of curses, because _this child_ is undoubtedly the padawan, meaning Fox and Tiyaar are alone against the master with the unknown power.

The kid takes a deep breath and sets his stance before drawing his lightsaber. The green blade lights up the glade and casts shadows on the kid’s face. His robes swish as he waves his hand. “You’re all very tired. Yes, you think this is a wonderful place to lay down.”

Carina doesn’t feel the slightest inclination to follow the instruction, but she hears some armor clinking as someone does. _Probably Ty’lk… This is why Fox told them to deafen themselves._ She takes a moment to judge the padawan before drawing her pistol and shooting at the brat’s head.

He yelps and jumps to the side, dodging the shot, but visibly panicking.

Carina’s annoyance ratchets. _This is a waste of time. Fox is alone against the master and I’m just dealing with this whelp._ “D’narr, wake him up.”

She stalks toward the Jedi and fires a volley of shots, clipping him once in the leg. Not bad, considering he was a Force user. She activates her flamethrower and then jumps back as the padawan lunges forward with his saber.

The kid over-extends and staggers a few steps before eating dirt. He tries to push off of the ground, but D’narr grabs his arm and twists it behind the padawan’s back before ripping the saber hilt from his hand. Ty’lk shoots the hilt and the metal shrieks as it’s punctured. The padawan looks over at it and wilts, giving up all pretense of struggle.

“Please don’t kill me! I surrender! Anything, I’ll do anything!” the padawan shouts.

“We’re not going to kill you, brat,” Carina says. She kneels near his face and sticks the barrel of her pistol under his chin to make him look her in the eye. “Who’s your master and what’s his party trick?”

“It’s Master Nicabre. He can mind trick anyone. Even Sith!” He jerks off the ground with how emphatic he’s trying to be. “And it can spread. He plans to mind trick a few and then let you all kill each other.”

Carina growls and switches her blaster to the tranq setting before shooting the padawan in the neck. She straightens and takes a deep breath to try and calm herself, but it doesn’t go well. Not when her brain keeps showing her images of Tiyaar cutting Fox down. _The kid almost doesn’t need the Jedi to mess with his mind to get him to kill Fox_.

“We’ll take him back to the Imp holding cells, _alor’ad_. Are you going to back up the Imp and Tiyaar?”

She gives D’narr a sharp nod before gesturing for Ty’lk to follow her. The hair is standing up on the back of her neck. Despite her armor’s systems running full power, she feels drenched in cold sweat.

“Here’s hoping he goes for the Imp, right, Hound? At least Tiyaar’s got his _beskar_ to protect him. L.T. doesn’t even carry a blaster, does he?”

Carina shakes her head and tries to swallow past the dryness in her mouth. “His vibroblade can cut _beskar_ . Maybe he could disable it before the _jetii_ takes control. I don’t know how extensive the control is.” She’s proud of the fact that her voice doesn’t crack.

“The faster the better, then.”

The hydraulics in her armor whine and whistle as Carina sprints through the woods. The readout in her helmet counts down the yards between her and the Tiyaar-kid’s armor, but she can’t close the distance fast enough. She doesn’t slow until she breaks into the clearing with them.

The Jedi is two pieces of bloody mess, face down in the decaying leaves. Tiyaar and Fox both have their backs to her and both have their vibroblades set to the max. Energy sparks in the air around the blades. Both men are standing unnaturally still.

“Fox?” She takes a step forward when she says his name. “Tiyaar?”

Fox slowly turns in place. He’s looking vaguely at her, but his expression is blank and his eyes distant.

Carina flinches back and at the same moment, Tiyaar lunges forward, stabbing Fox straight through the chest. Time seems to slow down. Carina snaps into action, grabbing Tiyaar by the arm and yanking him away. Thankfully, Tiyaar releases his vibroblade without ripping it out and then slumps to the ground. She lets him fall and lunges for Fox, grabbing him by the shoulders just as his knees give out.

Fox reaches for the vibrosword, but he can’t grasp it. His hands open and close twice before he shudders and coughs up a mouthful of blood. His eyes flutter closed and he goes limp.

Carina is frozen, her brain has just stopped, locking her in place as she as holds Fox up. Slowly, her ears start working again because she can hear Ty’lk calling for their medic, calling for the Imps. She tries to stay optimistic, but Fox’s face is as white as newly-fallen snow. _Not like this,_ cyare _, don’t march where I can’t follow,_ she thinks.

At some point the Imp medics show up and pry Fox out of her hands so they can lay him down on a stretcher. Carina isn’t sure if anyone speaks to her. She’s not even sure who’s around her. All she knows is that she shouts herself hoarse, cursing Faximil. “Where was he? He had one job! The Jedi were his responsibility! How is he going to answer for this? Where is Faximil?”

  



	5. Fire

Lord Faximil is standing facing the window with his back to Carina again and it’s all she can do not to leap out of her chair and break his face with her fist. The kid from Tiyaar, Atonai, is seated next to her with his helmet off. He glares first at Captain Mardh before setting his hateful gaze on the Sith.

The captain doesn’t seem to notice. He fires up a comm unit and eventually a holo Mandalorian with Tiyaar marks on his armor appears. The Imperial nods politely to the holo. “Thank you for waiting, Clan Leader. As you can see, I have Atonai here. We finished our investigation of Lieutenant Fox’s maiming. As I told you two days ago when we first spoke, Warrior Atonai has no memory of the event.

“However, it turns out that he resisted Jedi Master Nicabre’s mind control long enough for assistance to arrive. Thanks to his mental resilience, Lieutenant Fox was able to receive medical attention in time to save his life.” Mardh consults a datapad. “We’ve sent a bonus, as well as compensation for the time it took to investigate.”

The holo nods to Atonai. “Good job. I’ll see you back at the camp soon. Always good to see you, Hound. Let your father know I’ll be touch.”

Carina has to pause and unclench her jaw before saying, “Will do.”

The holo Mandalorian salutes before disconnecting the call.

Mardh moves the comm to the side of the desk and nods to Tiyaar. “Thank you for your hard work. Have a safe trip home.”

Atonai narrows his eyes, but nods before shoving away from the desk and leaving faster than strictly polite.

Carina waits for the door to slam behind him before she stands. She addresses Lord Faximil directly. “Where _were_ you? Tiyaar never should have been in that position.” With a snarl, Carina slashes her arm between them. “Fox would lay down his life for you and this is how you repay his loyalty?”

Faximil turns his head, but not enough to even look at her. He still says nothing.

Mardh clears his throat. “The lieutenant is awake now, if you’d like to see him.”

Carina huffs, but does look back at the captain. “Yes, _fine_ , I’d like to see him.” Silently, she follows him out of the office and out of Imperial Command entirely.

Occasionally, civilians stop the captain in the street to personally express their thanks. One even hands both Mardh and Carina fancy paper packets of candy. The Imperial accepts their thanks gracefully and seems to know some of their names.

As she stashes the candy in her armor, Carina pushes back her respect and keeps her anger at not being told Fox’s condition at the front of her mind. Not that her fierce expression deters the thanks at all.

Far too much later, Mardh leads her into the hospital complex. The lawns are manicured to perfection with delicate topiaries and a swirling fountain. Carina prepares a snide comment about wasted funds before she remembers _why_ the colony on Olkin II exists. The hospital was no doubt decorated by weak Forcers experimenting with their abilities.

By the time they reach Fox’s rooms, she’s less angry and more exhausted by her anger and ready to see Fox. To touch him and reassure herself that he’s alive and significantly less hole-y than she left him.

Of course, he’s not there.

Mardh saves her the tantrum she was preparing to throw by throwing it himself. Luckily, his target is an unimpressed older nurse with a crooked nose and a bored eyebrow raised. When Mardh pauses to breathe, the nurse rolls his eyes and directs them to a meeting room. They see one of the local police leading the Jedi padawan into the room as they approach.

The policeman salutes Captain Mardh when he exits and gestures to the next room over. “One-way glass and an audio feed.”

Carina nearly presses herself against the glass to get a better look at Fox, but his back is to her. She can see that he’s shirtless and his right shoulder is wrapped in bandages that no doubt cover half of his chest.

Behind her, Mardh interrogates the policeman. “What is he doing _this_ time?”

“He believes, rather rightly, in my opinion, that Olkin II wasn’t their only target.”

Fox speaks then. “Feeling better? I can’t believe they put those cuffs on you. They’re like torture, aren’t they?”

The padawan rubs his wrists and looks up at Fox from under his fringe. “It’s not that bad. I mean, it’s not like _actual_ torture. You’d know how that feels.”

“How would _I_ know that?” Fox pitches his voice to sound scandalized and it sounds so fake Carina almost wants to laugh.

The padawan lowers his hands to his lap and squirms. “Well, er, you’re, you know… Imperial.”

“I’m a _scout_. I run back and tell the police when a nerf gets loose and starts trampling the fields.”

“Er, a scout? But how did you…” He gestures to the bandages. “I mean, they told me Master was the one that hurt you.”

“Yeah,” Fox says. The word is loaded with so much scorn that the Jedi flinches. “He mind raped a Mandalorian who stabbed me.”

The Jedi flinches again. “We were just trying to save the colonists here from the Empire!”

“And what were you going to do after you ‘saved’ them? I heard that his power could spread on its own. How was he going to stop all of the Mandalorians from killing me and the rest of the city?”

The Jedi is visibly shaking and mumbles to himself for a moment before saying, “It- It made sense when Master explained it…”

Fox shakes his head and then winces in pain, reaching for his chest. “Well that was his power, wasn’t it? Making people think and do what he wants?”

The padawan breaks with a loud cry. It’s pitiful and quickly dissolves into sobs with him collapsed against the table.

Fox gingerly pushes back and stands. Slowly, he steps towards the door.

Carina sprints out of the viewing room and takes Fox’s left arm to help support him the moment he’s through the door. “You shouldn’t be pushing yourself like this.”

Fox looks at her and smiles, though he’s clearly in pain. “Hey, you.” He spares a glance at Mardh and the policeman. “He’ll spill his guts. Once he does, throw him in with the rest of the prisoners, leave the cuffs off, but have his guards discuss using them in earshot.”

“Of cou-rse…” The policeman tries to say. He gives Mardh a perplexed glance when the captain elbows him, but shrugs it off with a shake of his head. “It will be done.”

“Hound, if you could ensure he makes it back to his medical bed, I would appreciate it,” Mardh says.

“Surely someone else could have done that,” Carina lectures as she leads Fox back.

“It took fifteen minutes, at most.”

Carina half-lifts him back into his bed and fusses with his blanket and pillows. “And how long did it set back your recovery?”

“This is the best medical facility in the galaxy. I’ll be fine.” He takes one of her hands and holds it firmly. “How’s the Tiyaar kid? You didn’t beat him up, did you?”

Carina shakes her head. “Mardh had him in a holding facility while he investigated the ‘incident.’ I don’t want to talk about Tiyaar. I want to talk about Faximil.”

Fox pales. “What?”

“Where _was_ he? That _jetii_ took control of Tiyaar and nearly killed _you_! I know he saved the people here, but _you_ -”

“Carina-”

“And you speak _mando’a_ , surely-”

“ _Carina_ , enough.” Fox squeezes her hand. “Lord Faximil _did_ intervene. Nicabre’s power would have spread through all of the forces, Mandalorian and Imperial both, if Faximil hadn’t stopped it. I know mental powers just look like standing around staring at someone, but I’m sure he didn’t have the opportunity to also prevent my stabbing.”

“I just care about you, Fox. We work well together and… everything else.” She doesn’t want to put the rest of her feelings into words. Carina knows they’ve long since passed from casual fling into romance. She can’t pretend otherwise when she’s spent the last week dreaming of him singing softly to her in _mando’a_. “Can you blame me for worrying?”

“I don’t blame you.” He pulls her hand to his face and rubs the back against his cheek. “And I care about you, too. I’ll recover and see you soon.”

\---

Captain Mardh stops Carina in the hallway when she finally leaves Fox to rest and recover. His face holds the stiff, professional expression he wears in the Sith’s office. He nods to her. “If I might make a… personal comment.”

Carina feels her hackles raise and can’t pretend this man purposefully told her _nothing_ about Fox’s condition and kept Tiyaar in some kind of holding cell when he _had_ to have heard from his Sith that the kid did nothing wrong. “If you must.”

The Imperial reads some of her feelings in her face because he sighs and drops the stiff formality. “Hound, I’m not going to criticize you or your liaison. I just want to say, Fox, he… He shines very brightly. I don’t want to see you burnt.”

She lets her confusion push her into her own stiff professionalism. “If that’s all, I’d best be going home.”

“Of course.”


	6. Sleepless

Fox eventually recovers and Lord Faximil hires Clan Meshurok directly. The Sith’s personal forces alone can’t accomplish his goals, which remain… unusual for a Sith. There is no assassination of his rivals, or for that matter, much direct action against the Republic. The clan is kept busy accompanying his archaeologists to dig up old Sith relics, protecting the scouts he has exploring and mapping uninhabited worlds and even a few direct strikes on Hutt slaving rings, releasing the victims before they could be sold.

If Faximil is unusual for what he is, the same holds true for Fox. No other Imperial liaison has commanded the sort of respect he does--because none had bothered to respect the clans in turn. He fights at their side, rather than issuing orders from the command tent. At night, when the work is done, he sits and talks with them, _listens_ to them.

The easy rapport between Fox and her clan brothers is yet another thing Carina hadn’t anticipated when she’d first pulled the Imperial aside to blow off steam. Another thing that burns in the back of her mind and makes it harder to resist asking him to join. Another thing that makes anxiety curl in her chest when a job ends and they aren’t immediately offered a new one.

She catches herself daydreaming in idle moments--the long waiting during a stakeout, or the transport to a drop zone. Maybe it _isn’t_ so impossible. Maybe something could be worked out, despite his duties to a Sith and hers to her clan. It would be a little unusual, but perhaps he could be accepted as the father of her children. There’s no questioning his skills as a warrior, only…

Only his connection to and loyalty towards a Sith. That always breaks her out of her reverie. Faximil works with the clans _for now_ , but it isn’t something she can count on. Fox will eventually be moved to some other project. Already, Faximil takes him on secret missions and leaves Captain Mardh behind to liaise directly. And Fox never complains. He’ll disappear for weeks and then slip back in with Clan Meshurok as if nothing happened. It would be better to end things before he’s permanently assigned elsewhere, but she can’t bring herself to do it.

In between missions, when Fox and the Imperial soldiers are temporarily in the clan campground to consult with the weapontechs, the camp comes under savage attack by the local Trandoshans. Carina rushes to the holomap at the center of the camp, quickly and effectively coordinating the defenses. She notices Fox come up beside her, commanding the Imperial soldiers to support, but she doesn’t look away or cease barking orders until the attackers retreat.

Only then does she turn to Fox, which makes her double take. A small mirialan child, one of the clan’s toddlers, sleeps peacefully with his head on Fox’s shoulder. He’d carried the boy over and somehow kept it comfortable throughout all of the chaos. “...Why are you holding Ty’lk’s baby?”

Fox blinks at her, looks at the toddler and then looks back. “He was crying when the alarms went off.”

“And you just…” She trails off and her heart clenches in her chest. “Right, well, why don’t you put him to bed while I write a guard rota in response to this. You’re still staying the night, aren’t you?”

Fox rubs the boy’s back and nods. “I have to send a report out, as well, but it’ll be quick.”

Carina watches him go and savours the ache in her chest. Children had always been some nebulous plan for the future, but _now_ , having seen her lover softly comforting a baby in a crisis… She thrusts the thought aside and puts her full attention on the rota.

\---

That night, sleep eludes Carina. She stares up at the ceiling and strokes Fox’s head. She stops when he shifts and tightens his arm around her.

“Something wrong? They won’t come back tonight.” His voice is rough with sleep.

“It’s nothing. Go back to sleep, _cyare_.” The endearment doesn’t even bring the guilt anymore.

“I’m already awake. You’re thinking very loudly, you may as well tell me.” He lifts his head off of her shoulder and scoots up until their faces are nearly touching.

“This isn’t a roundabout way to ask you to join the clan, but have you considered having children of your own?”

Fox holds her face and brushes his thumb across her cheek. “Oh _love_. It- I-” He sighs and takes a deep breath. “I’m dying. It’s part of the reason I can’t leave the Empire.”

“No.”

“I need to stay, but even with… I have eight months. Ten, if I’m lucky.”

“ _No_.” Carina fists her hands in his shirt and squeezes her eyes tightly shut. “Fox, there has to be _some_ way-”

“There was,” Fox says. His voice is quiet and resigned. He brushes a tear off of her cheek. “I should have died five years ago. Every day is a gift. I never dreamed I’d meet you. Let alone that we would have this together. I’m sorry.”

Carina presses her face into his chest and cries. She’d thought the worst possible outcome was Fox leaving her, or admitting to already having a secret wife and child. Even her nightmares had never been so cruel. She wants to scream and cry and demand to know why he hadn’t told her immediately she would lose him, but none of that would change the reality.

Fox says nothing else. He just holds her as the truth he’d known for years set in for her.

\---

“I considered it, when I was much younger,” Fox says out of the blue several days later. They’re alone out on an overlook, ostensibly standing watch over an archeological team.

“It would have suited you, at least, the you around _us_.”

He smiles at her, but it’s tainted by his sad resignation. “A little boy named Sebastian.”

“And the reason?”

“It was the name of my best friend’s little brother. They were born slaves. Sebastian didn’t make it out.” Fox sighs. “But that was a long time ago and even then I already knew I would die young.”

“It’s no wonder you get along so well with Mandalorians.”

“I’ve always thought so.”


	7. Silence (Pretending's So Comfortable)

Carina wakes up when she hears her father’s voice. She yawns and sarcastically thanks her years of conditioning. She curls up in the duvet and listens in, curious as to why he’d wake her up in the middle of the night during a dangerous op.

“No, don’t wake her up. I wanted to talk to you, anyway,” Goran Meshurok says. He sounds tired, but the weariness matches his grizzled, old Mandalorian appearance.

“As you like,” Fox says. His footsteps are just barely audible and Carina pictures him standing at the window, looking out onto the countryside, even if he only has the light of the moon by which to see.

“I know I’ve made it clear to Carina, but no one cares you’re an Imp. If you want to get married? Have kids? Just do it. We’d take care of her no matter who _you_ are, but you’re a good man. Honorable. You’re _aliit_ , even if you wear the wrong uniform.”

“Ah, I see she didn’t tell you.” Fox sighs audibly and there’s a quiet tap-tap as he touches the window.

After a minute of silence, Goran asks, “You want to explain that?”

“No, but it’s better than making her say it. I’ll be dead in… eight months, Force willing.”

Goran’s voice is harsh. “You don’t look sick.”

“Well, curses of the blood don’t usually show on your face.”

“Can’t your Sith keep you alive?”

Fox laughs, then. Loud and completely devoid of humor. “The price is too high. Surely you know how Sith power their rituals?”

Goran’s armor creaks loudly in the silence. Finally, he says, “You can’t blame me for wanting to see her happy.”

“If I had the chance to do things over, is it selfish of me to still take her hand? Knowing what will come?”

Carina swallows down the sob that wants to rip from her throat. It’s not as if she could forget how little time she has left with Fox, but she does a good job of not thinking about it.

“No. She’s _mando’ad_. This is just a part of our life. You’re a strong man, to go out fighting like this.”

“Is it really strength when I have no other choice?”

“Everyone has a choice, Fox.”

\---

“You’re really unsettled, _cyare_. Is it because of _buir_?” Carina asks.

Fox has fussed over every single helmet in the armory, checking the seals and filters and ordering repairs for the most superficial of scratches. He walks on his toes, like he expects someone to sneak up on him at any moment. He has Carina’s helmet in his lap and he’s reapplied the sealant _four times_. “No, and I’m glad he knows the truth rather than thinking we’re just kriffing around. It’s Lethalitus.”

“I read the dossier, but I didn’t see anything particularly… unusual for a Sith. And if he wants to slaughter all of the Pubs, well, it saves us the casualties.” Carina sits down next to Fox, but doesn’t try to take her helmet back or stop him. Instead, she pulls out of her vibroblade and starts on her maintenance routine.

“The more painfully someone dies, the more power the Sith extracts from that death. Lethalitus capitalizes on this by sacrificing his own people. The betrayal adds another layer.” He sighs and sets the helmet on the worktable to allow the sealant to set. “The dossier doesn’t focus on it because he destroys everything he touches, but I don’t want him to hurt any of ours.”

“You can only do so much, Fox. If someone gets poisoned, it’s not your fault. It’s _Faximil’s_ job to handle the Forcers. You just relay orders.”

Fox rubs his eyes with the heels of his hands. “I just have a bad feeling about this.”

\---

Carina fights on the front line, a gold band of paint around each arm to signify her position as field commander. Fox is at her right, a silver band on his arms and his vibrosword singing through the air as he strikes. Goran had argued that the officers should hang back, but the scouts reported that the Jedi, some Master named Ratton, would be personally reinforcing the troops and the front line needed people that could resist his Force.

The sun is low in the sky, though not quite setting. Red-orange light reflects off the weapons and armor, giving everything a warm hue that did nothing for chill Carina felt down her spine. _Fox’s anxiety is contagious_.

She’s just pulling her blade out of a ruined wardroid when the ice on her neck freezes her entire body. Fighting to draw a breath into her lungs, she looks around and sees that Fox is the only one moving normally - on both sides of the line. A dark green mist creeps along the ground from behind her and with effort, she turns to see Darth Lethalitus making his sedate way to the frontline.

“This is hardly the place for your theatrics, Lethalitus,” one of the Republic soldiers says. A moment later his image distorts and Jedi Master Ratton is revealed. He lights his saber and waves his arm dramatically and the soldiers on both sides seem to come back to life.

Carina shakes off the last traces of the Sith’s influence and looks for Fox, but he’s gone. She can hear him giving orders in comms, though, so she doesn’t worry. Instead, she helps him organize the men and get them away from the Forcers.

“My powersss are no mere theatricsss, Rat,” the Darth all but hisses back at the Jedi.

“Of course not. Because I’m ignorant enough not to wonder where Sa’alle’s gotten to.” The Jedi barks out a laugh. “Did you really think our intelligence was so bad that we wouldn’t know what name Lord Faximil is hiding?”

Lethalitus hisses in rage and sends his poison mist into the Republic troops. He activates his lightsaber and slashes the air in front of him. “Sssa’alle is a weakling! A drop in a bucket in the middle of a howling gale!”

“I’m no fool! I know these Mandalorians are his pets. Stand down and let your betters sort this out.”

“ _What is he_ doing _?_ ” Carina asks in _mando’a_ through comms. “ _That Sith is about to start foaming at the mouth_.”

“ _That’s his plan_ ,” Fox snaps back. “ _He knows our troops are superior, so he’s trying to goad Lethalitus into killing us instead_.”

Comms explode in curses in a rainbow of languages, but when Carina opens her mouth to call for silence no sound comes out. She’s frozen again, caught in the Sith’s power. The next thing she knows, she’s flying through the air until she hits the Darth’s empty hand neck-first. She wants to cough, wants to breathe at all, but she’s completely paralyzed.

“Sssa’alle is not the master here!”

Carina sees her life start to flash before her eyes as the Darth swings the red blade to cut her in half. _And of course, I’m the first to go._

But the blow never falls. Carina regains control of her body with a gasp as she’s dropped to the ground. Trembling with adrenaline, she looks up to a blood-red saber blade sticking through Lethalitus’ chest.

Lord Faximil jerks his blade out before kicking the body to the ground. Except it’s _not_ Lord Faximil. It’s Fox in his armor and stupid thrice re-sealed helmet with a lightsaber in his hand.

Carina’s comms are chattering about Faximil disguising himself as Fox just for this kind of gambit, but she can’t believe it. She fought with Fox all day and it was definitely _him_ and _his_ movements and _his_ surprise Echani forms. _He was only gone for a minute. He didn’t have time to give Faximil his armor. It’s not a second set… I painted that hound on there this morning_ …

Fox swings his saber in a smooth arc before slashing the blade down and in response the poison mist disappears in a flash of purple fire around the Republic troopers. He rips off his helmet and even if his auburn hair is now the color of fresh blood and the sharp lines of Sa’alle’s marks accent his eyes and forehead, it’s still _Fox_.

The weight of the truth crashes into Carina at full speed and if she weren’t already on her knees in the mud, her legs would have given out.

“Having your enemies kill each other is not peace, Jedi,” Fox says. His accent is sharper, but it’s the power in him, the _Force_ in his voice that makes every warrior on the battlefield tremble.

“The only murderer here is _you_ , Sa’alle,” the Jedi says before leaping forward. He and Fox meet in the cleared out section of the battleground, sabers clashing with loud plasma hisses.

The last part of Carina’s heart breaks when she sees Fox switch into the mixed style that _still_ looks so Mandalorian, even when he’s using a lightsaber. She grits her teeth and stands, letting a single tear fall before she starts giving sharp orders.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The is the last unchanged chapter from the original. :)


	8. Face to Face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **!!!WARNING!!!** This chapter references non-consensual events _that did not occur_ and every character in question knows that they did not occur. However, given the particulars of the situation under which it comes up, emotions are running high and one or more characters _feels_ violated. If you have strong empathy or are otherwise adversely affected by such things, please proceed with caution.
> 
> This chapter is absolutely still rated T and no explicit acts are described in any detail, but I _wrote_ this and it still makes me uncomfortable.

Lord Faximil’s office on Pokk IV is identical to the one on Olkin II. Carina stands just inside the room with the heavy door shut behind her. She doesn’t know how long she’s been standing there, staring. At the beautiful desk, at the delicate chairs, at the floor-to-ceiling windows, at _him_.

Fox is standing the same way he did _that day_ , too. He’s in his Sith robes with his hands clasped loosely behind his back as he looks out of the window. The only difference is that his hood is down and he’s not wearing a mask. His hair is back to its proper color and his reflection in the glass shows no Sa’alle marks.

“People applauded my _performance_ of treating you like Fox. My brothers aren’t that stupid. How did you get them to believe it? Some mind trick?” Carina’s voice asks of its own accord. Her tone is even bored and conversational and she shakes her head at her own cowardice for not addressing the _real_ issue.

“You are mistaken. They _are_ that stupid.” Fox’s voice is cold and emotionless. He sounds like all of the times Carina overheard him giving a report.

Her anger spurs Carina a step forward into the room. When she opens her mouth again, the calm facade is gone and she’s nearly shouting. “You _lied_ to me. You lied to _me_.”

Fox turns his head towards her, but not nearly enough to make eye contact. “Yes.”

“Yes? _Yes?_ ” Carina’s voice breaks on the word. “That’s all you have to say to me? Yes?”

“Would you like more lies? I could spin a yarn, but it is simply not worth the effort.” Faximil turns back to look straight out of the window. When he speaks again, his voice is colored with Sith contempt. “You are dismissed. After all, it’s no fun when you know the truth.”

“What?” Carina chokes out past the bile that’s rising in her throat. She understands the words; he’s saying he enjoyed tricking her into kriffing someone anathema. That’s not the source of her confusion. No, Carina wants to know why he’s lying _now_.

“I suppose I should not have expected superior intelligence from a Mandalorian.” Faximil scoffs, still without looking at her. “Sybil is my _younger_ sister. _I_ was never _her_ apprentice.”

Even though she _knows_ he’s deliberately misleading her, Carina feels a wave of revulsion and flinches at his words. She clenches her jaw and curls her hands into fists. While she manages to keep from shouting, her voice is hard and shaking with rage. “Why are you doing this? What’s the point of this… stunt?”

“Really, Mandalorian, desperation is unbecoming, but if you want a final payment for your clan’s services, I’ll oblige. The desk is beside you.”

_That_ Carina doesn’t understand. Not until Faximil turns to her, one eyebrow raised as he opens the collar of his robes. Then she does vomit in her mouth and her skin crawls under her armor. She can feel phantom, burning hands all over her body. The effort it takes not to sob in front of this monster he’s pretending to be holds her frozen.

“Well? Either take off your armor or get out of my sight.” Faximil laces his voice with hate and Force.

Carina rips the door latch out of the frame with her haste to escape the nightmare. She knows it’s not real. She _knows_ he’s lying to her, intentionally pushing her away, but stars of the ancestors, it hurts nearly as much finding out he was dying. She tries to push the emotions back, so she can think, but the shame and disgust linger.

She’s nearly free of the Imperial command complex when Mardh accosts her.

“Hound-”

“Get away from me!”

“Listen-”

“I’ve heard enough!” She shoves past him and hopes the door hits him in the face if he tries to follow.

\---

Carina is sweaty and shaking when she finally makes it back to camp. More than anything, she wants to cry, but the tears won’t come. Her skin is still crawling and she’s never been so thankful that her armor keeps from scratching down to the bone to relieve the feeling.

Her father sees her first and after a single glance he puts his arm around her shoulders and leads her around the outside of the camp. “Oh, pup, what happened?”

“Fox is dead.” Speaking the words is like pulling Faximil’s dagger out of her heart. Instead of blood, tears fall out and Carina is sobbing and stumbling.

Goran throws her arm over his shoulders and keeps her on her feet and moving. Life doesn’t stop when the _aliit_ loses someone. “I’m sorry, _ad_. I thought you had months.”

“I did, too.”

Her father takes her to her tent and presses water and food into her hands. He watches her like a hawk and makes sure she finishes both before herding her into bed. He doesn’t argue when she refuses to remove her armor, he just throws down a rough blanket so she doesn’t stain her bedding. He kisses her forehead. “ _Gar shuk meh kyrayc_ , pup. Take as long as you need.”

Carina watches her father leave and wonders what she’ll tell him. He’ll know if she lies, but the truth is… She closes her eyes and lets another wave of tears out. Faximil’s method for pushing her away is worse than anything she can imagine, even on this side of it. She still feels violated and sick, but in her bed where they spent too little time together, where he confessed he was dying, it’s easy to see the truth of the matter.

_Whatever’s going to kill him, probably his sister, he believes it’ll come for me, too_. Her heart aches and she tries to rub the salt off her face. _No, if it was just me, he would have given me the choice. But the clan… He must think Meshurok is in danger. The only question is if he thinks we’re in danger because we’d fight to the death to protect him, or because his death would come for us, too_.

Twisted memories haunt Carina through the night and when dawn breaks she hasn’t slept more than an hour, all told. She feels empty as she packs up her things and breaks down the tent. When she’s lashing the last of her gear together for transport, she notices a parcel with Captain Mardh’s symbol on it.

Though she’s sorely tempted to torch the thing with her flamethrower, she flicks on the cheap datapad attached to it and reads the note.

_This amulet will remove and protect you from most Mind Tricks_.

It’s unsigned, but the stylized weasel on the parcel is clear enough. Carina carefully rips open the paper and removes the amulet. It’s a green and black stone that glows with some kind of inner fire and she remembers the captain’s warning.

_He shines very brightly. I don’t want to see you burnt_.

Carina frowns at both the memory and the amulet. _Fox trusted me. He knew I wouldn’t have let our family die trying to stop the inevitable. He thought that was the only way to keep us safe: to destroy the connection. But even so, I can’t believe he would have used the Force to make me comply._

She holds it right in front of her eyes. _This would prove it one way or the other. Some romantic idiot might say putting it on is proof I didn't_  really _trust him,_ _but refusing to wear it is cowardice, not faith in him. If I truly believe my feelings won’t change when I put it on, I have no reason to spurn its protection_.

She discards the paper and pulls the cord over her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Gar shuk meh kyrayc_ \- You're no good dead.
> 
> I apologize for the Spotify link, but I honestly couldn't find a YT video that wasn't a live version recorded on someone's mobile. [Face To Face - Divided By Friday](https://open.spotify.com/track/6Hxxu4iMziWnHSOPjIyd8k)


	9. Lighting Fires

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carina lives through the pain and meets new people along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like the previous chapter, parts are modified from the original Chapter 9.

Carina sits on the railing and watches the Battle Circle carefully. It’s rare for so many clans to get together and she’s not going to miss the opportunity to meet other melee specialists. Travars D’narr is in the ring with someone Carina doesn’t recognize, but some of the designs on his armor suggest that he’s his clan’s _alor_ , so it’s in her best interest to introduce herself, regardless. She signals to the stranger when he wins the match and starts to leave.

He takes a seat next to her and removes his helmet. “I’m Taldin, Cerar’s _alor_.” Taldin’s a swarthy human with black hair and worry lines despite otherwise looking only about her own age.

“Carina, _ver’alor_ of Meshurok.”

Taldin groans and puts his face in his hands. “Look, Carina, please don’t take this as a slight, but no matter what you’ve heard, I’m not actually looking for a wife. So please, just… _don’t_.”

A moment of silence passes while Carina simply stares at him. Eventually, he looks up and his earnest expression is enough to make her relent. “Your clan trying to marry you off?”

“Er, yeah. Sorry for assuming, I guess. I’ve been propositioned with varying levels of subtlety at least six times since I got here. Do you think they’ll stop if I start carrying my _ad’ika_ around?”

“If word’s already out that you’re looking, that’ll probably make it worse.” She gives him a sympathetic smile, though there’s no cheer in the expression. She absentmindedly runs her fingers over the fox etched on her cuirass. “Can’t say I envy you.”

Taldin scrubs a hand over his hair, but it does nothing to hide his embarrassment. “Right, er, so what did you want, then?”

Carina gestures to the vibrosword on her back. “Not a lot of melee specialists. And it’s past time I met the other _alor’e_.”

“Sorry, again. That was really presumptive. I’ve been a mess since everything with my kid’s mother.” The lines on his face deepen.

She traces the etching again and tries to push her envy down. She’s already adopted her first child, but there’s a phantom ache under her heart where should have been able to carry Fox’s. “Want to talk about it? I’ve got some _tihaar_ and somewhere you can hide. I think I’ve had as much of this as I can take for today.”

Taldin nods and hops off of the railing. “So, I won’t pretend I didn’t make any bad choices, but she _was_ a Zeltron.” He gestures grandly as he talks and doesn’t even seem to notice anyone around them. He pauses to drink when Carina hands him a tumbler of _tihaar_ , but otherwise doesn’t break stride. “...And then she just showed up, months later, with no word, drops the baby in my hands and leaves. Just like that!”

Carina shakes her head and sips from her own cup. She’s still nursing her first while Taldin is halfway through his fourth. “That’s awful. I can barely believe it, but at least she gave you the child.”

“Yeah, Galaar means everything to me.” He finishes the glass and refills for the fifth time. He’s not slurring, but there’s a rosiness to his cheeks even his complexion can’t hide. “Thanks for listening, Meshurok. People always _ask_ , but as soon as I get started, they just start chiding me for kriffing the bitch in the first place.”

“Hypocrites.” Carina rolls her eyes. “Half the _verde_ have had a kriff with an outsider to take the edge off.”

“Right. Not that I _prefer_ that. But sometimes--especially when your _buir_ is beating the marriage drum--you just want something without deep emotional connections and permanent implications.” He smiles and gives her a significant look. “And it’s not often you can get that in the clans. Am I right?”

Carina stares at him for a moment, finishes her glass, refills it and then drinks the contents in a single go. Then she clears her throat and says, “I’m going to forget you just said that.”

Taldin’s eyes widen in alarm. “Oh, kriff--I wasn’t--I didn’t want to _suggest_ anything. Okay, I did, but I didn’t mean to insult you. I mean, you’re _really_ attractive, but you’re not interested, so that’s fine...” He abruptly hides behind a long gulp of his drink.

Carina shakes her head and sighs. “I feel a little bad for you. I think your old _alor_ just passed the mantle as part of a lesson you haven’t figured out you’re getting yet.”

Taldin groans. “Nothing like learning on the job by jamming a boot in my mouth over and over. I knew something was up when he stepped down at such a young age.”

“Everyone has their own methods, I suppose.” She gives him another sad smile. “I’ll save you some awkwardness later and tell you that the answer will _always_ be no.”

“That might be for the best. Don’t want to kriff up clan relationships. Literally.”

“Try not to dwell on it. You couldn’t have known I’m not available.”

Taldin rubs the back of his neck. “I heard specifically that you’re _not_ attached. That’s why I assumed… Well, my _buir_ ’s been talking you up.”

“Ah, I see.” Carina looks down at the fox over her heart. It still aches, but only at the loss of him. She’s long-since forgiven the awful last words he said. “We weren’t married. And he died suddenly, but it was two years ago and my feelings haven’t changed.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how that must feel. Kriff, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, Cerar. And… If your boy comes out Sensitive, send him to me. I’ll take care of him.” Carina pours another serving and sips her _tihaar_.

“What do you mean by take care of?”

“I can get him where he needs to go safely.”

\---

Dromund Kaas never feels right to Carina. Maybe it’s because Imperials as a group don’t respect Mandalorians. Maybe it’s because she only ever goes there to meet with Sith. She knows part of it is because the Imperial capital makes her remember Fox and those memories still break her heart. She pushes the thoughts back as she approaches the address in the message.

A bored Imperial checks her credentials and sends her into the next room. She’s greeted by a dark, twisting hallway and sighs as she starts down it. Sith and their ridiculous theatrics are the last things she wants to deal with, but it’s her job and even if she wasn’t going to be the next leader of Meshurok, she has the strongest Force resistance.

The door at the end of the hallway opens and Carina is struck dumb by the room on the other side. Instead of the expected dim lighting and harsh shadows, the room is well-lit and looks almost homey. The most shocking item is a collapsible playpen set up between two couches. A dark-haired toddler stands against the edge and stares silently at Carina with serious, blue eyes.

Carina takes a deep breath and steps inside, hearing the door close behind her. “Who are you and what is this about?”

The Sith looks up from his datapad and raises an eyebrow at her before gesturing to the couch opposite him. When Carina sits, he says, “I am Lord Aucht. I was told to inform you that my brother’s name is Sebastian.”

She stares at him, uncomprehending until the memory grips her by the heart.

_It was the name of my best friend’s little brother._

“I… see.” Carina looks down at the child, a little girl who’s now chewing on a plush toy with at least five legs.

“I killed Sybil Sa’alle.”

Carina’s eyes snap to the Sith’s. They’re tinted yellow, but that’s likely Sith corruption. With his red hair, he could very well be the girl’s father, which would have given him ample reason to want Sybil dead. “That’s good, but I’m afraid I don’t understand why you called me here to say that.”

“I went through her mind before I dealt the final blow. I had to know what she did to the girls, so I could reverse it. While I was there, I found out what she did to Fox. He released a prisoner from her dungeon and attempted to run, so she killed him with his blood. He didn’t even have the chance to fight back.”

Carina’s hands clench into fists. “I don’t know why you’re telling me this, Sith.”

The Sith makes an annoyed sound and gestures to the etching on her cuirass. “I know what he did to you, but obviously you saw through it if you’re wearing _that_ on your armor.”

“He did it to protect us, but I gave up vengeance a long time ago. I wasn’t about to make what I went through for nothing.”

“I told him not to push you away, but it turns out I underestimated Sybil. She was worse than even I gave her credit for.” He rubs his temples and sighs. “The girl is Fox’s. I removed the Sa’alle marks, so you could raise her.”

The revelation hits her like a dreadnaught. Her sight is blurry as she lifts the girl out of the playpen and sits her on her lap. The toddler doesn’t seem to mind. She leans back against Carina and squishes the plush toy between her hands. Carina strokes her hair, which she can now see isn’t brown, but the same auburn Fox had. “I thought I was out of tears for him,” Carina says.  “What’s her name?”

“Whatever you’d like. Sybil didn’t name any of the girls. I know it won’t help much, but Sybil didn’t conceive her… manually. I doubt it was out of love for her brother, but she went through the medical process for such.”

Carina hugs her daughter. “Thank you, Aucht. I’ll take care of her.”

“Contact me if anything comes up. I owe him more than you know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Lighting Fires](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WrltQ2K2yE) \- The Gospel Youth
> 
> Here's the second major change. The little girl is Malady from [Inherent Qualities](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12387423). How did Aucht manage to kill Sybil this time when he didn't in the original? Yollan Ster from [Plagued Web](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11511783) was not satisfied with the Jedi's reluctance to help him save his daughter and so he left them and took up the mantel of his Sith heritage in order to get her back. Between the two of them, Yollan and Aucht managed to catch Sybil off-guard enough to save the girls.


	10. Obstacles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Children grow up.

Life, or chance, or the Force, or whatever is guiding events has a particularly cruel sense of humor. Under Carina’s careful watch and gentle hand, Aquila takes to Mandalorian life as well as her father had. Despite her heritage and _additional abilities_ , she is no different from any other child in mismatched, child-sized armor. With the Sith markings removed, no one will suspect she’s a Forcer for years to come.

The girl is undoubtedly Fox’s daughter. A few of Carina’s _vod_ make oblique comments on Aquila’s possible blood, but as far as they know, Fox was Blind. Carina can see the future in how Aquila watches Meshurok’s warriors and tries to emulate the ways they move and fight. At five years old, she’s already showing a penchant for organizing the other children in their games. With a natural commander like Fox for a father, it’s no surprise.

He should be here. Should be standing at Carina’s shoulder with the painfully fond look on his face, before turning to Carina and trying to claim that everything great about Aquila is her doing. Carina swallows a lump in her throat every time she thinks about it. She’s had her share of intimate liaisons since Fox’s death, but as she told Taldin, her feelings haven’t changed. Part of it is Aquila reminding her, but Carina won’t lie to herself and pretend she’s not still as lovestruck as she was so many years ago. All of her children know about their dead _buir_ and how he’d be so proud of them and nothing would have made him happier than to raise and teach them what it meant to be _mando’ade_.

Maybe he’d been born as a Sith to the worst possible family, but Fox had been Mandalorian in his heart. If not for the curse that let his _sister_ kill him with his own blood, he would have been here. Would have stood silently by as Carina challenged all of Meshurok. She’s never going to push someone out of the clan, out of the _aliit_ , out of the _family_ for having a gift. As long as their gift isn’t a danger, they’re the same as anyone else. Carina knows that people too strong in the Force will need to dedicate their lives to controlling it, but they’ll be family living with Aucht to be taught. Family that can always come home.

Aquila’s eight years old when her gift manifests as something other than intuition. Carina calls a meeting of the clan elders and makes her stance on Forcers official. Not everyone is happy with her decision and while one warrior leaves for another clan, even he’s not upset enough to complain to Mandalore.

When the time for Force training comes, Carina doesn’t hesitate to send Aquila to Aucht’s secret estate. She’s been there countless times before to spend time with her blood-sisters, even if Aquila prefers her _vod_ ninety percent of the time. Even at ten years old, Aquila knows her half-sisters will have to suffer the Sith Academy and accepts that death may come for them very early.

Carina isn’t nearly so resigned, but there’s also nothing she can do to protect Cassandra and the twins.

Years pass as Carina watches her Forcer daughter split her training between Force and Mandalorian arts. When Aquila earns her first piece of _beskar_ , she begs and cajoles until Carina etches an elegant fox into the metal. (It is a far cry from her father’s preferred style and Carina thanks her ancestors for this one difference.)

Carina tells herself it’s about decorum and intimidation that she prefers the elegant beast, but the truth is that her heart is in tatters enough to Fox’s child live up to his memory and she couldn’t bear seeing the fluffy, adorable icon every day.

\---

“Taldin, long time no see,” Carina says as she claps a hand with the other _alor_. She’d been summoned to a private lounge on Nar Shaddaa for the meeting and though she’s curious about _why_ it’s not happening at one of their camps, she plans to wait for him to explain in his own time.

“Always good to see you, Meshurok. I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about your melee corps.” Taldin takes his seat and pours them both small glasses of _tihaar_.

“Thanks. I never expected it happen, but like calls to like, I suppose.” She grins and takes a sip. “And two of them are my kids, which helps.”

The good humor falls off Taldin’s face and he lowers his eyes to the tabletop. “That’s kind of what I called you here for. Do you remember my son Galaar?”

“Yeah, with the _dar’jetii_ mum.” Even though they’re in private, Carina still doesn’t speak plainly. “Does he need to transfer over? Seems a little late for something to develop, though.”

“No, thankfully not that, but…” Taldin finishes his _tihaar_ in a single gulp and then plants his palms firmly on the table. He lifts his eyes to hers and takes a deep breath. “Apparently Galaar’s a twin. Some _dar’jetii_ ’s been raising him and now he’s blackmailing me.”

Carina’s breath comes out in a hiss. “That’s not good. What does he want from you?”

“I don’t know. So far he’s just been assigning me busywork, but it doesn’t make any sense. Why blackmail the leader of a Mandalorian clan just to get free transport jobs?”

“Maybe he doesn’t know you’re _alor_.”

“Then why risk angering an entire clan?”

Carina leans back into the booth’s plastic cushions. “That you haven’t killed him yet tells me you think he’s strong enough it wouldn’t be worth it, so maybe he’s just not afraid of Cerar. Sith always underestimate us.”

Taldin slumps over the table and pours himself a second glass without looking. “You don’t think I should just give up on the boy? I’ve never even met him and he’s been raised _dar’jetii_.”

“You feel like he’s your _ad_. That’s what matters. What’s the name of _dar’jetii_? I’ve got some people I can talk to. Maybe we can find out what he wants.” Carina taps her fingers on the table. “And give me the shipping manifests. My people can look through it and see if we find any of his allies or enemies or just anything that could help.”

“Thanks, Hound.”

“If you haven’t yet, you should tell Galaar about his brother. One of my girls has a bunch of half-siblings and while they’re no _vod_ , it makes her happier to have them.”

“You think so?”

“She said she likes having family she doesn’t have to share.”

Taldin laughs. “I can see that. I’ll think about it. He’s struggling right now. He’s infatuated with someone else’s wife. It’s driving me crazy.”

“Don’t get me started. I’ve got a romantic disaster that’s going to come to a head soon.”

“I don’t envy you that.” He sighs again. “I used to hope that someday I’d find a wife and do right by Galaar and the clan. Then, I met you and realized finding a spouse was only ever going to affect me and that if I wanted to do right by my family, I had to focus on them.”

“You’ve come a long way, Taldin. Don’t worry about it, we’ll deal with this _dar’jetii_.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Obstacles](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvLzUOm0opM) \- Syd Matters. Damn, Life is Strange still fucks me up. I get flashes of despair when hearing certain tracks from the sound track still.
> 
> How bad is it that I want an AU where Taldin is hopelessly in love with Carina?


	11. Simple Existence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Working with Sith never goes as Carina expects.

It only takes two weeks for Yollan Lestére to get back to Carina. The former Jedi had split Meshurok’s contract with Octavian after Fox’s death. It wasn’t that Oct couldn’t afford it - it was that Lestere needed muscle to back up his claim on the old Sith name. His blood and the marks on his face were proof of his identity, but might makes right in the Hierarchy. Despite his relative weakness, his office was in the heart of the Sith Citadel. His dark blond hair is pulled back in a single tail, but far more striking are the House marks on his face. Two red butterfly wings made of delicate, twisting knots stretch from jaw to hairline. It looks ridiculous.

“How’s Xalonie?” Carina asks as she takes a seat. With their daughters as sisters, she doesn’t bother with even a show of formality.

“Well. She’s finally weeded all of the troublemakers out of her squadron and those left are more loyal than I would expect at this point.” Yollan leans back and activates the large monitor behind him. “Rencarn is the Darth he claims to be. He specializes in sorcery and is a Sith pureblood supremacist. That said, it’s interesting that his recent travel has all been to Alderaan.”

“And because of his blood supremacy you think he’s not involved with House Thul,” Carina says. She looks at the corruption on the Darth’s face and tries to guess how much blood he had to spill to earn it.

“It’s _highly_ unlikely. As you know, one of his apprentices is that half-zeltron boy. The other is a Sith pureblood going by the name of Raven. He’s a suspected Revanite, but the cult here on Kaas was wiped out, so it might not mean much.”

“Alright, he’s a Darth, but that’s more about politics than power, isn’t it?”

“A bit of both. Rencarn is on the weak side for a Darth, but I’d rank him as Sybil’s equal or so. The major issue is that his power base is well-established. We can’t just storm the manor and cut him down like we did with her.” He rubs his left wrist absentmindedly. “I’ve got the coordinates of where he’s been going on Alderaan, but none of my people have been able to follow him inside safely. The primary location is some lordling’s village-estate thing. Kriff, I thought I hated Alderaanians when I was a Jedi. They’re just _insufferable_ now.”

Carina chuckles. “What? They’re not impressed by your House marks?”

“It’s not funny, Hound,” Yollan says, expression sour. “I wouldn’t have half the influence I do now if I hadn’t restored the line faithfully.”

“Alright, alright. Can you have your people mock up a fake contract for me?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“We wait until your little Lordling is otherwise occupied and then I show up at his estate claiming he called me in to negotiate a contract and I have Aquila poke around and find out what Rencarn’s there for.”

“That won’t be a problem.”

\---

The Fyaar estate is half-hidden in a forest that borders the ancestral Panteer lands. Not that Carina follows Alderaanian politics, because she doesn’t. She only knows because Yollan’s Alderaanian agent is obsessed with the current power struggle and needed a solid fist to the gut to shut up about it.

Aquila freezes the moment she crosses the property line. “ _Buir_ something’s wrong here.”

Carina scans the area, but she has clear line of sight in every direction and no danger to be seen. “Wrong how?” she asks in comms.

“There’s a Force presence here that’s… Grabby? It’s difficult to describe.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“I don’t think so. It’s, uh, insistent, but weak. I can resist it easily, it’s just uncomfortable.”

“Alright, give me the signal if we need to pull out.”

“Got it.”

Carina nods and leads the way in. The gateguards wave them through after a single glance at their armor. The grounds are well-maintained, but Fyaar clearly isn’t a rich House. Instead of decorative gardens, the buildings are surrounded by small crop fields. The residents and workers stare at them as they walk past. A hundred yards from the entrance to the main house, Carina spots a pile of crates with the Republic’s insignia.

While cursing mentally, she points it out to Aquila, who answers only with a grim nod.

_We just assumed they were allied with the Empire since Rencarn’s been in and out of here, but if they’re publicly with the Republic the servants might not be so willing to let us in._ Grimacing under her helmet, Carina approaches the doors anyway.

Thankfully the steward who opens the door takes her claim at face value and guides them into a sitting room. He excuses himself to call Lord Fyaar and Carina examines the room. There are large windows and two doors, not that Carina expects there to be a fight. At worst, she’ll be told there was some misunderstanding and escorted out, but it seems unlikely Aquila will have a chance to wander unescorted.

But she needn’t have worried because a moment later, Aquila says in comms, “That weird Force presence is coming _towards_ us.”

Carina silently signals her acknowledgement and turns to look at the door they know leads back into the main hall. She can hear footsteps and voices approaching and her heart freezes in her chest when one is clear enough to recognize. _Impossible_. She clutches the back of the nearest chair and the wooden frame cracks in her grip.

The door opens and in walks _Fox_ . There are others, but Carina can’t even see them because it’s _Fox_. His hair is greying at the temples and he has an ugly beard that doesn’t suit him in the slightest, but there’s no doubt in her mind that it’s him.

“Pardon me, I’m Jedi Master Reynard. The steward informed me that you’re here to discuss a contract with Lord Fyaar.”

“Mum…” Aquila’s voice is weak and uncertain in comms.

Carina removes her helmet and hands it to Aquila as she walks up to Fox. There’s no recognition in his blue eyes, but the wrinkle in his brow suggests he knows the significance of a Mandalorian removing their helmet. She puts her right hand on his shoulder and speaks softly in _mando’a_. “ _I’ve lived only for the sake of it, but here you are, my love_.”

Fox’s expression is is surprised and bordering on fearful. His breath visibly shudders in his chest before he says, “ _My heart knows you, though my head does not_.”

The idiot echani boy that came in with Fox shoves his way forward. “Master, what’s going on?”

Aquila grabs the boy by the shoulder and nearly throws him into the wall. “Stay out of it, Outsider.”

The boy clumsily springs off the wall and lunges at her, but Aquila dodges easily before blasting his cybernetic leg with the short-range EMP in her gauntlet. She leaves him on the floor and turns back to Carina and _Fox_ . “ _Buir_ , why doesn’t he remember you? What’s happened?”

“I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter. _Cin’vhetin_ ,” Carina says.

Fox shakes his head. “I lost my memory some years ago, but _Mandalorian_? I don’t mean- I believe you, I’m just surprised. It’s a lot to take in.” He holds his right hand out to Aquila, who doesn’t hesitate before clasping it firmly. His expression makes it seem like he can see through her helmet. “A daughter!”

“Come, we’ll take you back to the _yaim_.” Carina pauses when she hears the echani boy whimpering on the floor. “You’re responsible for him, aren’t you?”

“Yes, there’s something wrong with his Force.”

“Something _really_ wrong,” Aquila says with a visible shudder.

Carina takes her helmet back in her free hand, unwilling to release her hold on Fox after so long. With effort, she tears her eyes away to look at the boy, who’s clutching his cybernetic leg and trying to hold back his pain. “He’s probably Rencarn’s experiment, so we’d have to take him to Oct anyway.”

“I didn’t hit him that hard,” Aquila says defensively when he whimpers again.

“The cybernetic’s new, but this is excessive,” Fox says. He turns, but doesn’t move enough to disturb Carina’s hold on him. “Castel, can you stand? The dramatics wouldn’t work on me under normal circumstances and now is particularly not the time.”

The echani boy has the grace to look embarrassed as the pain melts off of his features. He uses a side table to pull himself to his feet before gingerly putting his weight on it. “The movement’s kriffed, though.”

One-handed, Carina pulls her helmet back on. “Alright, Aky, you broke ‘im, you get to babysit him back to the ship.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Simple Existence (Acoustic)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAoPAuP5wug) \- State Champs
> 
> "Omg Fox is alive."  
> "...Ah shit we still have to deal with this idiot kid."
> 
>  
> 
> Anyway, if you're confused, without Avarice/Av to take him to the hospital and pay his bills, Castel lost his leg and nearly his life. The refugees he'd been helping found him dying of infection and begged the Jedi to save him.


	12. Ever The Same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Cin'vhetin_ \- Your past is wiped clean. Who you were doesn't matter; only who you are. In your heart, you don't change.

Morning comes far too early for Carina, but she would delay it for eternity to stay in this dream where Fox is alive. Where he got to meet their daughter and see everything she achieved. Where he had a beard almost as ridiculous as Yollan’s House marks. Carina scrunches her nose in distaste and resigns herself to starting the day. She freezes because she can’t get up because there’s a _weight_ on her and Fox still has that _stupid_ beard and there’s no way she’d dream it up.

She wraps her arms around him and presses her face into his hair and starts crying. After a moment it develops into full sobs that only get stronger when he wakes and tries to comfort her.

“Shh, _cyare_. I’m here now. I won’t leave you again.” He rubs her back and speaks softly just into her ear.

“I’ll kill you if you try.” Carina makes fists in his thin undershirt.

“I don’t know how I could have left you in the first place.”

“You did what you thought you had to in order to protect the clan.” Carina wipes her face with the sheet and then holds Fox’s cheek. “It hurt and I was angry. You said terrible things to push me away. It hurt even though I knew you were lying.”

“I’m sorry, but I think I won’t be when I have my memories back.”

Carina chuckles and rubs her thumb over his cheek. “Probably not, no.”

“Is the beard really that bad? I spent a long time growing this.”

“It’s terrible. Maybe it taking so long should have been a sign.” She kisses him despite it, holding him tightly and ignoring the way it scratches her face. She pulls on his shoulder until he’s leaning over her.

Eventually, Fox pulls away and runs a finger over her lips. “What if I don’t get my memories back?”

“We’ll make new ones. You’re still you no matter what name you wear. That you’re here like this makes that clear.”

“I don’t have Force intuition, but I may as well with you. I can’t deny what I feel, even if my mind says it’s baseless. All these years, I’ve been content to be alone, when in truth my heart was just waiting for you.”

“Never again, _cyare_.”

\---

“It’s not what it looks like!” the echani boy squeaks out when Carina opens the door. He’s laid out on the couch in the main room with his trousers tossed on the coffee table and Aquila is kneeling over him.

Carina raises an eyebrow. “It looks like she’s fixing your leg.”

“Then it’s… exactly what it looks like.” The kid is blushing so furiously he almost looks human.

“You’re welcome, _buir._  This idiot seemed to think it was a good idea to disturb ‘his master’ this morning,” Aquila says. She waves the multitool in her hand for emphasis.

“I’ve been kidnapped. I think it’s reasonable to want to know what’s going on.”

Carina gives Fox’s arm a squeeze when he comes out of her room and walks around her.

“I was planning to drag you to Tython. Is that what you’d prefer?” Fox asks.

The kid grimaces and then winces when Aquila makes some adjustment to the connections. “Mandalorians are Imperial. I’m _not_ going to be a Sith!”

Aquila lifts her hand a makes a flicking motion a good foot from the kid’s face, but he flinches as the Force hits him. “One, we’re not Imperial. We’re Mandalorian. We’re our own state. Two, your Force is _kriffed_. You’re not in a position to turn down help.”

He winces. “I guess not, but this… isn’t what I expected. The Master the Jedi sent is a Mandalorian all of a sudden, it’s all… Unexpected.”

“Oh, yes, I’m sure it’s inconveniencing you terribly. Just the worst, I can’t even imagine,” Aquila says. “Why, the fact that my father presumed dead for the last twenty-five years is now suddenly alive and has been held against his will by the Jedi is simply nothing in comparison.”

“Oh… Uh… Well, when you put it like that, this is a pretty minor shock,” he admits with a mutter.

“Be nice, Aky,” Carina says. “He’s going to be spending plenty of time with Oct to figure out this Rencarn mess.”

“This Oct person… Can he fix it? What’s wrong with my Force, I mean?”

Aquilla reattaches the last faceplate to the kid’s leg. “I hope so. Its grubby paws won’t leave me alone.”

The kid blinks. “But I’m not doing anything… Uh, on purpose.”

“Obviously,” Aquila says as she stands. “If you were doing it on purpose, you’d be knocked out and in Force cuffs.”

Carina rubs the back of her neck and glances at Fox. “We got a bit sidetracked, but the entire reason we went to Alderaan was to figure out what Rencarn was doing there. He was at the Fyaar estate, do you remember anything, kid?”

The kid shakes his head. “Rencarn? Is he a Sith? I’ve never heard of him. Didn’t see any Sith when I was here, either.”

“Castel isn’t the first person I’ve seen with this problem,” Fox says. He rubs his beard contemplatively, probably trying to relish it while it’s still there. “There was a zeltron on Coruscant. He ended up Force bonded to six different people before we found him.”

Castel blinks. “ _Six_ people? But that’s impossible. And are you saying _my_ Force is trying to do it too!?”

Aquila scowls and nods. “Yeah, I’ve been having to keep my shielding up. It’s giving me a headache.”

“But… how? What’s wrong with me? And how do I stop it from doing that?”

Fox nods to Carina. “Since they’re investigating Rencarn, it’s possible he’s doing something to you. As for _what’s_ wrong, we’re not sure. For the zeltron, we severed the bonds and now he’s under observation on Tython.”

“Rencarn’s a Darth. He’s got the son of another clan leader hostage right now. This was just supposed to be recon.” Carina sighs and sits in one of the chairs.

“So he’s trying to plot something against your clans. But where do I come in? I’ve never met this guy,” Castel says.

“That you remember,” Fox says. “With as corrupted as your Force is, he may well have put memory blocks on you and we simply can’t tell under the mess.”

“Kriff… That’s bad.”

“Hopefully Oct can find out how bad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Ever The Same](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48ADEg-QoFc) \- Rob Thomas
> 
> Sorry, I'm extremely ill right now, so updates are ????
> 
> That said, this is not going to end with a solid 'all loose ends wrapped up' conclusion because most of it is covered in the original timeline.
> 
> If you enjoy this kind of thing, please give me some feedback on what you want to see next. Either leave a comment here or hit me up on tumblr (<https://tk-duveraun.tumblr.com/>)
> 
> * Girl Terenti/Boy Vasili, no Jedi kidnap  
> * 3/4 Echani, 1/4 Human Terenti and Vasili  
> * Boy Carina/Girl Fox  
> * Something else  
> * I have a suggestion, it's [...]


	13. On My Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How odd a thing, to learn about yourself from other people.

“We have _five_ other children and _none_ of them are at the _yaim_?”  Reynard asks. He’s shaved the beard off and is now going through family holos with Carina and his daughter.

Carina chuckles. “They didn’t like being in the prime of their youth and still getting their _shebs_ kicked in by old _buir_. Cakara’s still with us, she’s just temporarily working with Cerar.”

“Cakara is…”

“The echani,” Aquila says. She’s sitting opposite her father and occasionally watching the holos so she can follow the conversation. The resemblance between them is striking, even with the thick swath of purple hair.

“And Cerar is the one having trouble with Rencarn?”

“Yes, but Cakara’s there because _someone_ stirred up a lot of romantic drama.” Carina gives his daughter a very pointed look.

Aquila blushes and sinks down in her chair. “It was going to come out eventually.”

“It wouldn’t have been a problem if you had talked to either one of them before it got to this point,” Carina says. At Fox’s confused expression, she explains. “Cakara was formally courting another warrior in the clan that Aquila has a crush on. They had no business being together, of course, but I have to let the children make their own mistakes.”

“Well this is certainly going to be interesting. I can’t say I have experience with romantic issues. The padawans tend to be secretive about their crushes and liaisons, which just makes the matters worse, but it does mean they never came to me with those problems.” Reynard eyes the holo of his family together with some wariness. He’s spent the last twenty-five years alone with the Jedi. He’d naively assumed he would have known if he’d had a family waiting for him on the agricultural world the Jedi claimed he came from.

“Mum always just tells us to talk it out with them, so you can’t be any worse.”

“That is very good advice, Aky. Cakara and Atin discussed their relationship status like adults and are now resolving the issue with minimal conflict to the clan,” Carina returns with endless patience.

Reynard doesn’t even have to consider his response. “That sounds about right to me. Communication is the solution to most interpersonal conflicts.”

“ _Dad_ , you’re not helping,” Aquila says with an affected whine. Her calling him _Dad_ warms some part of his heart he’d never noticed was cold.

“Have you ever considered that I might just be correct?” Carina asks. However, she’s spared more of Aquila’s complaints when her comm goes off. “Sorry, this is Ty’lk, so it’s important.” She brushes her hand against Reynard’s before stepping out of the room.

Aquila sighs dramatically and kicks her legs in the facsimile of a tantrum. “What’s the point of having the _alor_ for a mum if she won’t fix all of my problems?”

Reynard chuckles and looks at her fondly. “You’re lucky to have her. Obviously you’re not hers by blood…”

Aquila eyes her father and feels the bottom of her stomach sink. “She didn’t tell you, then.”

“Given your age relative to when my last memories are, I thought it would be too painful to talk about right away.”

Aquila bites her lip and nods. “It’s… bad, yeah, but maybe not in the way you’re thinking. Do you know anything about Sa’alle?”

“I know it’s one of the old Sith families, but that’s it.”

“Sybil Sa’alle was… trying to breed the perfect heir. She kidnapped Oct and Lord Lestére and… attacked them… and then used rituals to bring the resulting girls to term faster.”

“I see.”

“There’s more. You’re… You _were_ her older brother.”

Reynard looks down at his hands. He can all but feel the blood drain out of his face and he feels ill at the very idea. _My own sister_? “I hope I don’t remember _that_.”

“Oct said she used a medical procedure to conceive, but it’s still… Yeah. The clan knows that I’m your daughter, but they don’t know you’re also Lord Faximil.”

“By the Force. I’m sorry, Aky.”

“Thanks. I’m healthy and, uh, Cass is Head of the Family now, so there haven’t been any problems, but it does sort of… loom.”

“You both have gone through so much while I was just sitting around playing Jedi.”

“It doesn’t matter. We’re warriors and you’re back now. That’s what matters.”

\---

Reynard hesitates at the door to Oct’s lab. He takes Carina’s hands and squeezes them tightly. “I’m sorry you’ve had to go through so much alone. You’re a spectacular warrior and it’s difficult to imagine my life without you, even after just a few days. I can’t imagine how it’s felt for you, thinking I was dead and raising my child.”

“She’s _our_ child. She always has been. All of them are. We never had the chance to speak the vows, but that doesn’t take the truth of them from us.”

“I owe you more than I can ever repay, Carina.”

“There’s not some ledger you’ve had to borrow against, but if you feel that way, you can repay it by staying by my side.”

Reynard kisses her softly before opening the door.

\---

Elegant opera music plays through the room. Reynard listens in, but doesn’t recognize the piece. He blinks his eyes open and stares at up at a vaulted ceiling. He sits up on the chaise and puts his feet on the black and pink marble floor. Though he turns his head, he can’t find the origin of the music.

“Do you like it, Uncle?” Asks an unfamiliar voice. Before Reynard’s eyes, a red haired young woman appears. Her features are similar to Aquila’s, but her hair is the color of fresh blood and sharp red lines make up the Sa’alle marks on her forehead and around her eyes. “Aky’s been shoving it down our throats for years.”

“You’re her sister?”

“The eldest. Cassandra; though, I go by Sailens Sa’alle in society. Aky got it from Cakara, the reluctant echani.” Cassandra sits in a leatheris armchair that wasn’t there the last time Reynard looked.

“I’ve seen holos, but Carina only adopted her ten years ago. There aren’t any memories of her to restore.” Fox looks around the room and tries to make a note of it, but he can’t seem to focus on any of the details. The portrait of a dower old woman shivers and instead it’s an open landscape.

“That doesn’t _matter_ for this technique. This is just a waiting room. The surgical theater is beyond.” Cassandra waves at the walls and then lunges forward snapping her fingers. “Stop trying to see _through_ things. You’re making it more difficult.”

Fox startles and shifts on the delicate chair under him. “Is this how your father got around the moratorium on kriffing with my head? Having you do it?”

A solo aria starts in the opera and the music begins a tense crescendo.

Cassandra smirks at him and picks a cup of tea out of the air. She takes a sip. “Of course. But since I’m Head of the Family, I also have a marked advantage for rearranging your Force.”

“Were you not able to tell I was still alive?” Fox asks.

“I can’t access the real family holocron. That’s why Sybil wanted twins so badly.”

“We lost access to holocron?” Fox can hardly believe it, even with every other revelation he’s encountered recently.

“Three hundred years ago. It was sealed away by the last patriarch, hence the dramatic gender shift out of spite.”

The music is nearly deafening, but Fox feels no compulsion to raise his voice to match. “Well I certainly have no regrets about leaving it all to be Mandalorian.”

Cassandra sniffs imperiously. “We don’t want you anyway.”

Fox stands and looks down at his hands. He watches the _beskar_ shift and move as he opens and closes his hands. He glances at Cassandra. “Well, in that case, I think it’s time to _wake up_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [On My Way](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3stsstwx1o) \- Boyce Avenue
> 
> So, Girl!Fox/Boy!Hound is coming along. It'll be a bit before it's posted since I have to rewrite the entire thing. Just a head's up that there're extreme continuity differences. As I may have mentioned, that is the original gender orientation and I am going to include a lot of the original backstory that was modified to keep a tighter narrative in the Legacies story.
> 
> For one thing, it takes place about ten years after The Fox and the Hound does and Fox is a distant cousin of Sybil's, not an older sibling.
> 
> \---
> 
> “No one wants to work with Sa’alle. You’ll make a bad impression."
> 
> “Perhaps _the lieutenant_ can liaise with them?”


End file.
